Before we knew it the time had come for our boys to hit the stage and with their amazing sound fusing electro.pop.dance.soul they literally had the house on fire. Each song was better than the one before and I couldnt stop dancing the whole way through. Everyone need's to check out there site http://www.deadlovejunkies.com/ immediatley and listen to their music - its the kind of music I could hear on the radio at a club the kind of music I want to listen to while getting ready with the girls. Its fun music and Raff's voice is incredible , I couldnt help but feel so proud of them!
Their set was over and I immediatley went over to congratulate them. When I gave Will a hug he said 'Man thankyou so much for the styling you did an awesome job cant wait to keep working with you' and after the performance friends of their's had come up to me complimenting my work with the boys and how they loved what I put them in. With the band and their friends seal of approval and seeing them rock it completely rocking their look, reminded me why I love doing this so much. Its such a rewarding feeling and as Lora and I staggered our way up the stairs and back into the London rain I had a big smile on my face and all the extra hours of work and effort that I put into all these styling projects suddenly just fell so worth it. Creativity is a beautiful thing , I'm really looking forward to working with the guys again , these boys are going places and STYLIST Deni is loving every second of these fashion adventures! xoxo Deni
STYLIST Deni is a persona I switch on when the office hours close and I become consumed by all things fashion. Things inspire me every minute of the day and when I get to execute this inspiration in a creative way , well its like music to my ears. I've been doing a few interesting projects lately , and on a cold summer's tuesday night (bloody england weather) I left the office and made my way across to Diesel to style the crew for a special Diesel Black Gold Look Book showcasing the new collection modelled by the staff at Diesel Bond Street. Styling friends is much harder than people you dont know as well , because you as much as you want to portray the creative look you have in mind you want them to feel comfortable yet at the same time its like a dream come true to be able to put them in an outfit they wouldnt normally wear and give them the confidence kick they sometimes need. The new Diesel Black Gold Colleciton designed by well known designer Sophia Kokosolaki is stunning so I began to put outfits together. In true Diesel style a rock chic element was needed - the girls had to look like bombshells and the boys their 
rocker boyfriends. The result was incredible and lots of fun and then once again it was my turn to be infront of the camera. As I posed on the Diesel staircase I thougth 'if only I was taller, I could get the hang of being paid to pout and pose infront of a camera in designer duds' good joke!
These capes are so cool they come in loads of different' colours and prints at £45 for the Kimono (which is the one that I have , these short legs need to be seen or I'll just look like a dwarf) or for those who are more gifted in the height department there's the classic Poncho style which is £55. They're all available online at 
What's the most interesting part of this all is people's reaction as I walk down the street striding in my RainWave. People smile , compliment my cape , stop me to ask me where its from. One little girl said 'Mummy look at his cape its so cool' , I couldnt help but giggle! Once I put my RainWave on its like I turn into a little kid as well , jumping in puddles like a 6 year old! I went to suprise my bestie Charlotte at work the other day in my RainWave and she immediatley asked if she could wear it to a theme park the next day. It was love at first sight & she put it on instantly!
So for now I will stop complaining about the Rain (i've really turned into a Brit havent I?) and relish in the fact that though It may be raining I am looking fab in the rain - cant let a little whether get in the way of looking good now can we! xoxo Deni
I said as we sipped a quick pre drink in her office bar. It was soon off , down the cobbled stone lanes of Carnaby Street to the opening of the first store for uber-cool fashion label Pyrus. Pyrus holds a very special place in my heart. It was one of my favorite labels represented by Goodley in my interning days & my best friend Charlotte works for them as their right hand woman/design assistant Husband and Wife team Ash & Lorraine are based in east london , I was at their studio the week before viewing their new collection we talked of the excitement and anticipation of this very night. It's every designers dream to open up their store. Invite in hand I was on my way to 10 Newburgh Street and off to the Pyrus boutique! 
The fashionista's were spilled out the front of the store, champagne glasses in hand mingling amongst each other and immediatley I was impressed with the quaint boutique - instant charm! 
As I walked in to the beautifully crisp, clean, modern & polished ground level of the store I was greeted by my old Goodley crew and immediatley made my way to my gorgeous Charlotte looking stunning in a Pyrus number and headed over to Ash to congratulate him on the amazing 
store. He happily showed me around for a personal tour of the gorgeous boutique. Not only does it serve as a store downstairs they have a seperate section for art installations where every 6 weeks a new artist will exhibit their art work. I love a collaboration of art & fashion and I loved the concept behind it, a fashion boutique with a quirky difference - more than meets the eye! 
The clothing was gorgeous , the art was inspiringly intrigueing and the drink was flowing. Canapes made their way around to the fashion crowd and I spent most of the night with the Goodley girls and a friend of mine interning at Marie Claire. That's the thing about the fashion crowd its like a world in itself - seperate from the real world - where everyone knows everyone and they all speak the same language. Speaking for 10 minutes about the seasons hot new Chloe hiking ankle boot was not considered odd or out of the ordinary and as suddenly as the Chloe conversation ended Christian Louboutin studded loafers were thrown into conversation among Lindsay Lohan's recent stint in jail. Ever in my element the night continued in high spirits.
Across the road sat specialist boutique Peckham Rye a quaint little store specialising in unique silk scarfs and bow ties. The owners of the store were merrily drinking at the Pyrus opening and some how , still i'm not quite sure how , I found myself hanging out in the store with the owners and my friend Liam from Marie Claire. Telling them of my incredible love for bow ties and how their store was one of the firsts I went to amongst my shopping trips in London , they happily gifted me with a red silk polka dot silk scarf and a sky blue and soft red check bow tie! 
I could hardly contain my squeal and I skipped out of the store polka dot scarf tied around my neck and bow tie in bag! The clock struck 12 and this boy's fashion adventure was about to turn into a pumpkin as it soon became evident that one more free drink was certainly not needed! That's the thing about these events , too many free cocktails you cant say no to and bite size canapes that no one eats anyway! Ah my life in the fashion's fast lane, from being guided through a store opening by the designers themselves to being gifted one of a kind silk scarves and bow ties - my YSL t-shirt/vintage leather wearing self is very comfortable in this cosy world of fashion and ready for more adventures to come! xoxo Deni
The morning had started relatively well, or so I thought. My taxi arrived 10 minutes early and consequently dropped me off to the location half an hour before the start time. As I paid the driver and slipped out of the black cab and into the pouring rain , I looked around me. I was surrounded by blocks of flat. Somehow this didnt look like a place that would have a photographers studio near by. However I gave the cab the address I was given so I assumed it must have been. When it turned into 10 minutes before 9 and I saw no sign of Tamara, a model or a car full of shoe samples pull up I began to panic and as I called my boss I was made aware that the taxi driver had indeed dropped me off in the wrong street. I could have cursed every name under the sun however I took a deep breath and did my best to get to the shoot as quickly as humanly possible with the weight of two giant bags of clothes and one of hangers - in the pouring rain. Of course this is happening to me , a typical Deni scenario - nothing without drama! A 10 minute walk away I finally arrived through a busy market and up a stair well into a warehouse that looked more fitting for a photographers studio. Apologising for the inconvenience there was no time to waste and I started to hang all the clothes on the rail while the gorgeous model was curled up in her chair, coffee in hand, ready for Hair & Make-up...
The brief was simple , as it was a shoe lookbook , the focus had to be generally on the shoes , but the outfits needed to be styled accordingly so that they would compliment the shoe and make it stand out to its full potential - which at times was easier said than done. Shoes laid out on the floor it was time to mix and match and see which outfits would be paired with each style.
The first look - a pair of coral leather heels - was paired with a white floral print dress picking up on the coral in the heels and a sure fire winner , the shoot was off to a great start. Some utfits proved more challenging than others and I soon learnt that it was all about trial and error alternating through different choices for each shoe style. Did a high heel look better with hair up or hair down. How high above the ankle should the Citizens of Humanity jeans be rolled up. Tweaking each look to get the best result is a big part of the process but as soon as you see the model in the right look working it for the camera , you know instantly if the look is a winner or not. When it is, you can feel the energy in the room. The model , the photographer, hair & make-up, the photographer's assistant - you all just kind of look at each other and just know. The model , ever a professional , posed and worked every look to perfection!
Getting the opportunity to work so closely with my boss Tamara out of the every day office environment , was a wealth of experience in itself. Having worked in fashion for over 10 years I was like a sponge trying to absorb all her knowledge and she is truly such an inspirational person to be around. When the shoot is all wrapped up a feeling of joy and relief fills the room and knowing youv'e done a good job is beyond rewarding. As I packed all the clothes up back into my giant bags it made me realise - no matter what I'm doing in life , no matter what is thrown my way , as long as i'm doing something that I creatively enjoy - working in Fashion is my life long passion and the fact that it is finally becoming a reality is an incredible and slightly surreal feeling. What else does the fashion world have in store for me I wonder? We'll have to wait and see xoxo Deni
and made my way to meet my girls and make our way to Hyde Park. As we entered the park the adrenaline kicked in , not only was I seeing HOV , I was seeing him in the most iconic park in this city I have fallen in love with. I almost pinched myself. Tickets in hand we headed on in...
The warm summers sun rippled on my skin as we made our way to a small tent to see local hip hop newcomer Tinie Tempah and as we grooved to his tunes I had to stop and smile as a mere month ago I was having a drink and a chat with him at the Glamour awards - too surreal! 
We made our way back over to the main stage to watch Lily Allen take the stage , for what was her last live performance for a very long time (Lily is leaving the music industry to open up her own vintage clothing store and has also just announced her pregnancy) she took to the stage in a gorgeous white jumpsuit and Louis Vuitton scarf - this prom dress teamed with Nike high top wearing girl has come a long way. Lily was fantastic and struck a personal chord with me. Her latest album 'The Fear' was an album that Ben and I had discovered - and listened to non stop for 3 weeks - at a very happy time of our relationship. Every song she sang bought back a memory and when she dedicated the two songs which reminded me of two very prominent phases of our relationship - 'Are you Mine' & 'Chinese' - to her boyfriend in the crowd , emotion took over and I found myself crying behind my Dolce & Gabbanna shades - and so is the power of music. Proffessor Green was soon bought onto stage , personal friend of Lily's and they performed his debut single on which Lily features much to the crowds pleasure! It was wicked!
Lily's set was over , tears wiped away (for now) - and the countdown began for HOV to take centre stage. Charlotte and I couldnt contain our excitement. All four of us , Rachel (Charlotte's sister) and friend Emma are die hard Jay Z fans and we were now more ready than ever for our main man to blow us all away. We edged closer through the crowd to try get the best position possible. As I looked around me I noticed something , i was surrounded by the most varied mixture of people. Young, Old, Male, Female, English, Mixed Race - everyone was here for one reason - to see Jay and it just speaks volumes about the wide range of fans he attracts. 
The countdown was up on screen and everyone had their diamonds in the sky, their roc's up - now to explain what this iconic hand sign means for those of you who dont know - it has several meanings. It is a sign for the greek letter Delta as explained by Kanye West's song 'Through the Wire'. For Jay Z and the Rocafella family (Jay's record company is called Rocafella Records) it means diamond , a play off the word Rock , in Rocafella Records - which means the hardest stone on earth as well as the most precious, this sign was coined as the dynast sign by Jay Z. As the countdown continued I've never seen so many roc's up at once! 
When the man himself made his way on to stage to drop the opening lyrics of 'Run this Town' the adrenaline hit me and my heart felt like it was about to explode out and through my chest. The rush of the moment , the fact that he was merely metres away from me gracing the stage was overwhelming and I couldnt believe this was finally happening. It was a 2 hours I'll never forget.
I've seen a lot of live performances. Amazing productions by Kylie , Destiny's Child , Lady GaGa - involving costume changes different sets and many bells and whistles. What I saw on the 4th of a July was a talented poet , in black shorts a shirt and shades , a microphone , some amazing lighting and video projection but more then anything pure passion and music. Probably the most amazing live performance I've yet witnessed. From all the old school tunes like '99 Problems' to the ever popular 'Empire State of Mind' , to the incredible acapella freestyling sets but by the time it came around to 'Forever Young' - where Mr.Hudson joined him on stage - Jay had me in tears. Forever Young is a song that means a lot to me. The first version released in the days of The OC touched my heart with every lyric. I've always said I want to be young forever , and every lyric in that song means something to me. When Jay released his version it felt like a sign - my favorite song , with my favorite artist , what an incredible combination - and when he performed it , I was in tears. The power of music is truly incredible. He closed the show with my all time favorite Jay tune 'Encore' (every lyric came out of my mouth with so much passion I could feel myself losing my voice) and as he reluctantly left the stage - smiling like a big kid as he thanked London - we left Hyde Park with a bitter sweet feeling. Cant believe how amazing it was , so sad its over - kinda sums it up. As Charlotte and I walked out arms wrapped around 
each other talking about the highlights of the show - I smiled - Jay you made my dream came true. I saw you live and you did not dissapoint , you exceeded my every expectation! Whether you like Jay Z or not fact is the man has had 11 back to back #1 albums - making him the most succesful artist on the US charts beating even Elvis's record so do yourself a favour If you dont lsiten to all 11 albums download The Blueprint's 1 & 2 , The Black Album and The Blueprint 3 and let your education begin. Till next time xoxo Deni 
Saturday morning slapped me across the face and with only 4 hours sleep under my belt i was ready to continue this party. Today after all was Gay PRIDE! My first Pride ever. Now before I go on , speak about the partying , the boys , the alcohol - I would like to say that as corny as it sounds the fact that we can now proudly celebrate our sexuality and raise awareness that , actually being Gay is nothing to be ashamed of - is amazing in itself - so this was one party I was ready to celebrate! Outfit of choice for the day proved quite difficult and much involved much changing of outfits, i was having an undecisive moment if ever there was one, however I finally decided to go with an all white virginal ensemble, inspired by the amazing Madonna!
Feeling fly in white , I made my way to central London to catch the last half an hour of the parade. Everyone informed me that the parade is really not that much to write home about and to be honest , in comparison to Sydney's Mardi Gras - its quite amateur - but alas see pictures below! However, amateur it may have been as the sounds of Gaga & Beyonce blared from the speakers and each group made their way through the parade , the police, fire and ambulance forces, gay mothers, gay fathers, mothers and fathers of gay children, you name it they were there to support the gay community - a big part of me felt really Proud. Growing up dealing with your sexuality you sometimes feel like you're the only person in the world who has to go through this and seeing how many other people can a. understand what you went through and b. support you for it - really meant a lot to me! Kudos to them for marching!
Parade over and done with, it was now off into Soho (bottle of Vodka in hand) to celebrate this party! The city was buzzing and today Soho was Grand Central Station. I've never seen so many people in one area at one time. Gay, Bi, Straight - doesnt matter what your preference 
everyone was out to have a good time and Soho Square was a buzz of people lounging in the sun relishing in alcohol, good company and the gorgeous weather. I was relishing with my flatmates and my gay bestie Ruthie and southern comfort (which thanks to Ruth, after the Vodka, became my drink of choice for the day) the afternoon was off to a fabulous start and it only got better!
The alcohol was flowing and one of the bars located on the corner of Soho square was blaring the best combination of stereotypically gay-fun pop music. Everything from 80s Madonna to Gaga and Kylie. My big group of Diesel family were all out in force , gay & straight, before I knew it we were posing with Drag Queens and dancing like crazy people , downing jaeger from the bottle!
Now going into Pride , I was warned by Ruth 'Denis you will definitley pull' , to be clear 'pull' is the expression replaced with 'pick up' in Australia. To 'pick-up' is to 'pull' - that translation aside , I assured Ruth that perhaps the odd kiss may take place but I wasnt about to place any bets. 'Denis its Gay Pride - remember my words' - ok I thought, I guess this makes sense, no one goes to their High School Prom without getting a kiss right? That's what happens in movies. Maybe Pride was like a gay prom hehe Ruth's theory soon turned to prove right and Kiss #1 occured approximatley after 4pm with already much to much alcohol running through my veins.
It soon drew close to 11pm and it was time to start figuring out where to next - obviously the best after party would be taking place at gay mecca aka G.A.Y/HEAVEN. As we tried to round up the gang it was then that Kiss #2 occured - an ex flat mate who will remain un-named waved at me through the crowd an we made our way to eachother to say hello. He's one of those boys that you find yourself crushing on in a geeky/comic book Seth Cohen kind of way (for those of you who dont know who Seth Cohen is - shame - immediatley go and get The OC on DVD). Seth Cohen (we'll call him) and I got talking and caught up on how things are going and whilst at this moment the alcohol certainly begain to take effect , secret crushes were admitted and a few very long passionate kisses proceeded. Hrmm, looks like kisses were definitley part of the Pride experience. As Madonna would say 'forgive me father for I have sinned'. 
We parted ways, kissed goodbye (shamelesslly two or three times) and were both off to different venues. My gang and I made our way to the 5minute walk away to Heaven - 1omins while drunk and stopping for regular swigs from what was now the almost empty bottle of Jaeger. As we finally arrived to Heaven , the queue was unbelievably long - 2 hours long to be precise. The first 30mins were painful, the following 30mins excruciating but 
after having waited an hour we were determined to get in. And finally we did - unfortunately the battery on my camera died , which in turned proved to be a blessing , allowing me to solely focus on dancing the night away. Once in the music was perfect , a whole lot of Kylie and every other pop song you could thing of - perfect for the event - and the club was jam packed but just the right amount to create the right atmosphere. Whilst dancing on the podium I had noticed on the podium below me a very fit 'rudeboy', think short shaved hair , tattooed arms, super fit body, arms on show , a white vest top, low slung jeans, white cons and rosary beads hanging from his neck. 'Hrmm' I thought , but looked away thinking nothing of it. As I danced away to Kelis's Acapella I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and turned around to find Mr.Rudeboy facing me. Words were not needed and before I knew it Kiss#3 occured, after quite some time the kissing stopped for a moment and I thought it only right to start some kind of conversation, however it was soon apparent there was a major language barrier, all I knew was this boy was from Brazil, fit and didnt let go of my waist or my lips for enough time till I decided my kiss from Rio needed to make way for dancing with my friends. The hours passed us by and the dancing didnt stop, suddenly I found myself and my flat mates dancing with a group of people , one of which was a very attractive guy who shamelessly wouldnt stop looking my way. There comes a moment where you go 'Ok 3 is a good number stop there' and then you go '...why stop at 3, 4's a nice even number no?' - so the dancing continued , the blatant flirting with the eyes and with one swift move he took hold of my waist and pulled me close to a very soft passionate kiss (my favorite kind) which soon turned into slowly more passionate , slightly faster and more intense (always the best follow up) and Kiss #4 turned into many kisses for the last 2hours of my Pride experience! Down from Ireland for the weekend to attend London's Gay Pride, Kiss#4 was just what I needed it to be , nothing more , nothing less - a nice kiss (or 2hrs worth) with an attractive boy who happened to have a cute accent. The night - or shall we say morning - was drawing to an end , and as we exited the club and spilled out onto the streets of London , the morning sun pierced my eyes and after waiting 15minutes for a bus that never came I put me and my flatmates into a black cab and we made our way back to our flat and as I crawled into bed, sleeping mask firmly on I got thinking about gay pride. Its amazing to be part of a community that is becoming more and more widely accepted. On a personal note this journey of self discovery that has occured over the past few months has taught me a thing or two, i'd like to make a note that sure , I kissed a few boys in one night (which by the way Is a total first for me) but I went home alone and kissing 4 boys in one night is quite different to sleeping with 4 in one night (though I would never judge anyone if thats what makes them happy) - what i'm trying to say is that this is all well and good , quite fun and I dont regret it in anyway - but I realise something i've always known - that loads of quite meaningless kisses with 4 different boys means nothing in comparisons to meaningful kisses with one special boy. Which brings me to my final point , at the end of the day gay or straight everyone wants love. To love and be in love. Its what makes the world go round. The moral of the story is that some boys like boys, some girls like girls, some girls like boys and some boys like girls. Whatever your preference is , it shouldn't matter, Love is Love and as the below image will tell you - Some people are gay. Get over it! Signing out xoxo Deni
